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126-1601-R0105††††††††††††††† Approval of Proposal to create a Bachelor of
Science in Natural Horsemanship Degree with two options; The University of
Montana-Western

THAT††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† The Board of Regents of Higher Education
authorizes The University of Montana-Western to award the Bachelor of Science
in Natural Horsemanship with two options, Natural Horsemanship Science and
Natural Horsemanship Management.

EXPLANATION†††††††††††††††††††††††† The University of
Montana-Western (UMW) proposes offering a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in
Natural Horsemanship, with options in Natural Horsemanship Science and Natural
Horsemanship Management that takes advantage of Westernís established expertise and associate level degrees
in Natural Horsemanship and Equine Studies.†
Western has received many inquiries as to the availability of a
bachelorís program in this area over the past year.† Since this program is unique in the nation, it will allow Western
to draw students from across the United States and beyond.

As is the case with its A.A.S. degree in Natural
Horsemanship, Western has developed a collaborative agreement with La Cense
Montana, which provides the horses, equipment, facilities and horse trainers
for the field portions of this degree program.

Graduates of the program will not only be actively engaged
in the local, statewide, and national equine business community but will also
be involved in the internationally-recognized discipline of natural
horsemanship.† This method of
equestrianism incorporates an understanding of Horse Ethology, (i.e. horse
behavior) in order to create a more sophisticated working relationship between
human and horse.† The natural
horsemanship method is quickly becoming the international standard by which
horsemanship is judged.†† The creation
of a university-accredited program, developed in collaboration with industry,
will ensure, for those who wish to pursue a career in natural horsemanship, the
existence of an internationally recognizable credential.